In the Night
inside
the glow
of a winter white
rose
I climbed
a spiral staircase
and found
a thousand years
sound asleep
at the bottom
of a weeping
well
in slumber
I woke up
and walked
in circles
searching for
the switch
that would turn on
all the lights
and in the darkness
of the night
I stumbled
over the moon
TL
From Tee to Green
you push
a giant toothpick
in the ground
and place a ball
on top of it
and grip the leather
and take a practice swing
‘til you hear it sing
then into position
your body
and mind
and so it would seem
to the spectator eye
such a simple thing
to get from tee
to green
in short order
and repeat it
year after year
no matter the weather
the up and down
the hazards
but a glimpse
of what you see
on tv
or around a tournament town
doesn’t begin
to graze the surface
the struggle within
there are so many elements
in play
that test who you are
who you think you are
what you’re capable of
what you think you’re capable of
and in those hours
of bend and build
there is a quiet
in the dew drop mornings
the biting frost to blazing heat
the torrential rain to not a drop
the barely a breath to whipping gusts
the blue skies to crackling thunder
the dusk to dark
it’s all there
on courses long and short
the lessons
the private lessons
unending
the reassessment
the adjustment
the learning and re-learning
the simplifying
becoming less
becoming more
constantly evolving
continually revolving
from the ground
up
TL
Blue Roses
shopping
for groceries
but lost in the flowers
veered over
to the boxes of boutonnieres
lined up on the shelf
like mini black caskets
these weren’t the plastic pathetic kind
the box said real
behold a blue rose
that never dies
ironically the rose will last
a long, long time
so long as
you keep it away from the rain
and the sun
perfectly preserved petals
that never age
or crumble
embalmed beauty
for the masses
not even a rose can die
naturally
‘cause of shoppers like me
who buy up all three
TL
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood
as an orphan
from Korea
i learned English
stateside
from Mr. Rogers
my first mentor
and the kindest man
i ever knew
TL
The Lake
the road
is the same road
nothing’s changed
about it
in 20 years
only my shadow
has
it used to fly down the road
with a hummingbird heart
before the coffee was brewed
and the dogs barked
then down to the dock
the stillness of the water
rippled only by a fish
or a turtle peering up
or a bass boat crawling by
I’d stare at the water
like some stare at fire
thinking or not thinking
that’s the part
that hasn’t changed
TL
Your Own Table
there’s some
thing
about cooking
your little meal
in your little kitchen
that makes it
a little more
fulfilling
TL
Intersection
if you keep
in mind
the line
behind you
the lines
beside you
and the line
ahead of you
you’ll better
understand
the lines
how they
connect
the beginning
the ending
and everything
in-between
TL
he was gone
before the ink could dry
on the page
nothing slowed him down
for long
like Rocky, he got up
he wasn’t anywhere near perfect
but he was real
and if he loved you or hated you
you felt it
he could talk to anybody anywhere
at anytime
he had tremendous empathy
for the down and out
the hopeless and hurting
he could relate to the pain
and loss
he’d give a stranger his last dollar
and if you had no family to stay with
he’d be your family
no matter what he’d been through
or how hard it was
he remained hopeful
and grateful
humble and kind
he might of been a newspaper man
to some
but to me and to many
he was a teacher
who could teach you a thing or two
about life
he sure didn’t waste it
like that Blake Shelton song
“man, he lived it …”
TL